The Broken Road

George Wallace and a Daughter’s Journey to Reconciliation

By: Peggy Wallace Kennedy, H. Mark Kennedy

Narrated by: Caitlin Thorburn

Bloomsbury presents The Broken Road by Peggy Wallace Kennedy, read by Caitlin Thorburn.

From the daughter of one of America’s most virulent segregationists, a memoir that reckons with her father George Wallace’s legacy of hate—and illuminates her journey towards redemption.

Peggy Wallace Kennedy has been widely hailed as the “symbol of racial reconciliation” (Washington Post). In the summer of 1963, though, she was just a young girl watching her father stand in a schoolhouse door as he tried to block two African-American students from entering the University of Alabama. This man, former governor of Alabama and presidential candidate George Wallace, was notorious for his hateful rhetoric and his political stunts. But he was also a larger-than-life father to young Peggy, who was taught to smile, sit straight, and not speak up as her father took to the political stage. At the end of his life, Wallace came to renounce his views, although he could never attempt to fully repair the damage he caused. But Peggy, after her own political awakening, dedicated her life to spreading the new Wallace message—one of peace and compassion.

In this powerful new memoir, Peggy looks back on the politics of her youth and attempts to reconcile her adored father with the man who coined the phrase “Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever.”

Timely and timeless, The Broken Road speaks to change, atonement, activism, and racial reconciliation.©2019 Peggy Wallace Kennedy (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Great Southern story narrated by someone who is not from the South

The story is great but the narrator does not know how to pronounce certain things like “Tuskegee” and other names and the southern accent makes it so hard like come on

Mispronunciations are shocking

The number of mispronunciations is shocking. I understand the narrator is purposely using a Southern accent, but she blatantly mispronounces numerous words.

Good Book, Subpar Narration

It's so interesting to hear Kennedy's point-of-view about her father, former Alabama governor George Wallace. Kennedy does not shy away from acknowledging his faults and foibles nor his negative place in the civil rights movement. The reader also sees her fervent desire to transcend her father's words and actions. At the same time, Wallace was her father and so, of course, Kennedy does have positive feelings toward him as well, but still is careful not to excuse his detrimental behaviors.

I loved how each chapter started with a quote. The book follows Kennedy's life, but mostly focuses on her father and her relationship with him.

The narration of this book, as other reviewers have noted, can be distracting at times. I was not surprised to learn that the reader, Caitlin Thornburn, is British because although she reads the book in an American (and sometimes American southern) accent, some words such as "dynasty," "lever," and "been" are said in a British way and then she had some weird pronunciations for words such as "penchant," "obscenities," "carbuncle," and "referee," among others. Her most glaring mispronunciations were "Tuskagee" and actor Gary Sinise's last name. She has a pleasant voice and otherwise reads fine, but the her narration could be distracting at times, and I was surprised that these errors were not pointed out in production.

The book itself is good.

An incredible story butchered by a horrible narration

Peggy Sue Wallace Kennedy writes a story that is both honorable and remarkable. Her ability to understand the politics of her father and mother and her willingness and fortitude to right those wrongs with past leaders of the civil rights movement is an incredible journey.
With regard to this Audiobook, this wonderful story is butchered with the worst narration I have heard in over 250 Audible titles. Caitlin Thorburn butchers the English language to a point where simple words and phrases need to be replayed for listener understanding.
Although I highly recommend this book the listener must truly be an active listener so that the narration does not ruin the beautiful story told within.

Narrator?

This was a compelling book and a must read for the times. However, the narrator left much to be desired. Much.